Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M State's first six games and is likely to re- main PSU's third-team running back now that redshirt freshman Cam Wallace is dealing with an injury. This group has been very good so far, but the best might be yet to come. Grade: B Wide Receiver The Penn State receivers were eas- ily the most questioned position group coming into the season. They have had good games and quiet ones to this point in the season, which is about what was expected. Coached by second-year Penn State assistant Marques Hagans, this unit en- joyed its best game against USC. Fleming, a veteran senior, shrugged off a couple of first-half drops and an offensive pass interference penalty, hauling in 2 fourth- down catches to move the chains and set up the tying score in the fourth quarter. Juniors Omari Evans and Harrison Wal- lace III both got open when needed to keep second-half drives alive. And yet, this remains a hard group to trust. No one had firmly established him- self as the No. 1 target through six games. On the stat sheet, Wallace was leading the way with 17 catches for 283 yards and 2 scores. Evans and redshirt junior Liam Clifford had 11 catches apiece for 236 and 206 yards, respectively. Only two other receivers — true freshman Tyseer Den- mark and redshirt sophomore Anthony Ivey — had registered catches. One of the biggest concerns facing Penn State in the second half of the season is whether it will be able to throw the ball when an opponent finds a way of stop- ping Warren. Through six games, the vet- eran tight end had more catches (40) than Wallace, Clifford and Evans combined (39). Will the receivers be ready to fill the void when the time comes? It's hard to say yes with any degree of confidence. Grade: C+ Tight End There may be a more impactful tight end in college football than Warren, but good luck finding him and then making the case for another college football player to sit on a higher pedestal than the versa- tile senior. Warren has been simply outstanding, and not just as a receiver but as a blocker, runner and passer. He almost single- handedly powered the Nittany Lions past USC with 17 catches for 224 yards and a score, in addition to completing a 9-yard pass and gaining 4 yards on a run. Going into the Wisconsin game, War- ren's 40 receptions had produced 513 yards and 4 scores, and he had also found the end zone through the air and on the ground. Unlike in recent seasons, the Lions do not have another tight end who is impact- ing the game extensively. Redshirt junior Khalil Dinkins and freshman Luke Reyn- olds are both seeing action, while redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea is out with a long-term injury. For now, at least, this is a one-man show, with Warren playing the leading role. Grade: A Offensive Line This was maybe the hardest area of the offense to grade. Through the season's first six games, Penn State had surrendered only 6 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, ranking 14th in the FBS in the former category and fourth in the latter. The best thing that can be said about this group is that we rarely talk about it, even though it has a first-year starting center in redshirt senior Nick Dawkins, has rotated some at guard, and has needed redshirt junior Nolan Rucci to step up at right tackle ever since redshirt freshman Anthony Donkoh was injured against UCLA. Can this group do more in terms of pushing for additional yards on the ground? Yes. And is Allar's mobility cov- ering up some issues? Sure. Neverthe- less, we've been impressed with the line's overall performance. Grade: B+ Junior running back Nicholas Singleton has been a threat as both a rusher and receiver for the Nittany Lions. Through six games, he had 645 all-purpose yards (434 rushing, 113 receiving, plus 98 on kickoff returns) and 6 touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL